Date: April 5, 2025
Flight: Edelweiss Air - PRN to ZRH
Aircraft: Airbus A350-900
Class: Business (upgraded at airport)
Edelweiss Air officially launched its Airbus A350-900 service to Pristina yesterday, and I had the opportunity to fly on one of its very first rotations. The aircraft will operate three times weekly between Pristina and Zurich until May 19, after which frequencies will be reduced to twice a week.
Originally booked in economy, I opted for a last-minute upgrade at Pristina Airport for €139. For a wide-body experience on a short European route, it felt like good value, especially since the open-jaw ticket I purchased was more expensive than the upgrade.
The A350 was welcomed with a water cannon salute. Before boarding from gate 201, I went down to the bus gate to get a better view of the plane.
The boarding process began on time. I found out that there were 297 passengers onboard, which I think is very reasonable for an intra-European flight on Saturday. This A350 has 339 seats.
The A350 still features the 2-2-2 business class configuration inherited from its previous operator, LATAM. While the cabin is spacious and the seats lie fully flat, the layout lacks direct aisle access for window passengers. Edelweiss plans to address this with a new 1-2-1 layout which is supposed to be introduced next year. The front row seats have a bit more leg space with the larger ottoman than the ones behind. These also open up for storage.
The seat itself was wide and comfortable for the short hop to Zurich, with ample legroom and the ability to fully recline. Each seat had a bottle of water, headphones and wet wipes upon boarding. I didn’t explore the full IFE options, only checking the great 3D flight map on the personal TV screen, which included views from the cockpit, global and overview, information on airports, cities, weather and points of interest.
We were offered a welcome drink before departure and after take-off were given a simple meal, which I wouldn’t say was great but decent for the short flight time. After that we were offered coffee and tea, with some chocolates.
This wasn’t the most luxurious business class experience, especially when compared to more modern setups, but it was certainly a step up from a standard narrow-body flight within Europe. The cabin feels a bit behind the times for a flagship aircraft, but the upcoming upgrade to a 1-2-1 layout should make a big difference. For now, it’s a decent wide-body experience on a short route and it's great to see an A350-900 operating on a regular basis in the region.
Share your travel experience by submitting a trip report to exyu@exyuaviation.com
Thanks for sharing, was curious how the new a350 of Edelweiss look like. and I also agree the eur 139 is a good value for the experience.
ReplyDeleteNo, no, this is some kind of a joke. Certain all-knowing super-special self proclaimed analyst clearly stated that wide body airplanes doesn't fly short haul routes. That cost so too much many money. It's not profitable.
ReplyDeleteWe re not talking about one doing time as we speak aren't we?
DeleteThanks for the report and the photos. Great to see the 359 in PRN. The food in Business Class is an absolute joke, especially considering how much Edelweiss usually charges to PRN. I would be ashamed to serve this. 😱🙈🙊
ReplyDeleteYes, I was dissapointed. Ticket costed 102€ one way economy + 139€ upgrade.
DeleteU got a good deal. In Summer or over holidays they charge over 900 CHF and this in Y Class only (ZRNPRN return)
DeleteYes, the price structure is terrible. Thats why Chair Airlines and GP Aviation LF is almost always higher than Edelweiss on the route. However Edelweiss share seats with www.flyksa.com + malesiareisen.com tour operators that help them very much to fill them up on better deals than airline itself.
DeleteVery ugly plane.
ReplyDeletelol
DeleteDo you mean the plane itself, or the livery?
DeleteI think they both look cool.
Delete^ Absolutely!
DeleteHi, Vigan! Tnx for this interesting report and the review of a product of this airline.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the pics a lot.
It would be really interesting to hear more about Prishtina airport, how it is, how it is functioning, languages used etc. We rarely have a chance to get any insight so please write more reviews and please include Prishtina airport experience as well.
+1
DeleteLooks very modern!
DeleteThank you for the trip report. How much was the load factor at Business?
ReplyDelete6-7 Pax, incl. me
DeleteThanks for this sneak peak into PRN, Vigan!
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great trip report Vigan, keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the report, Vigan! We still need a few more trip reports from PRN.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Interesting, concise report, nice pics and very cool to read about PRN.
DeleteNice experience with A350. I personally like A340-300 they still fly.
ReplyDeleteGreat to have a report from PRN!
ReplyDeletePRN is blossoming: more than 4 millions pax in 2024. Wow!
ReplyDeleteWell done, PRN.
DeleteDid you get lounge access with the business ticket? How was it?
ReplyDeleteIt was the worst in the world. Really small, poor and only cornflakes and some juices. In general the airport is modern but I dont’t know why the Business Lounge is so poor sadly.
DeleteWhen I grew up in the 1970s/80s in Yugoslavia, never imagined that so many Kosovars will move to Switzerland that a modern widebody will be needed to haul them back and forth. Good Lord, times have changed!
ReplyDeleteAnd the times you talk about Priština had 5 weekly DC-9 to Beograd and 1 weekly B727 to Zurich
DeleteAnd today!!!! 🙂
You are gelaeuz
ReplyDeleteFaleminderit Vigan.
ReplyDeleteI was very excited to read this trip report.
I would have really liked to have read about the overall trip experience, from the check-in to the lounge, and the soft product onboard. But I cannot complain.
As far as 17/02 Lounge at PRN is concerned, I can say that the level of service has been going down over the years, but it's far, far, far from the worse business lounge. The quality of coffee is *excellent* compared to most of the lounges I have visited, and it's made by hand. The selection of drinks is also more than decent for a lounge of a small-ish airport, but the food offering has been steadily going down. In February when I last visited, the only food on offer were croissants from the Red & Black cafe at the airport. No sandwiches or hors d'œuvre.
I've been meaning to write a trip report for a number of years, maybe I should do that soon.
I had a really good experience with Air Prishtina last year and was keen to shed some light on "la famiglia" travel agents as there seems to be a lot of misconceptions on this site, but never got round to it.
The aircraft itself is a proven platform, but the noise they’re making around it borders on theatrical—as if inducting a five-year-old A350 is some industry milestone. The reasoning is understandable, yet the interior, drenched in those dated Adriatic tones, feels like a design memo lost in the eighties. As for the short-haul routes, it’s not strategy—it’s necessity: operational familiarization, crew training, and easing the type into the system. Sensible, yes. Groundbreaking? Not quite.
ReplyDeleteThe use of the A 350 by Edelweiss on short haul routes is a temporary measure for staff training. The inherited LATAM business seating is due to be replaced by a 1-2-1 layout in line with the current Swiss/Edelweiss style over the next 18 months or so. The current 2-2-2 layout is roomy but not luxurious. As ever, food on Edelweiss short haul flights is pretty poor. Nice presentation but small helping and often an odd choice. Yesterday’s flight was a couple of pieces of soft cheese and some sliced (unidentified) vegetable. Not a credible business class offering. Otherwise the flight from EDI to Zurich was fine and flight attendants excellent.
ReplyDelete